New Mexico at a Glance

Land of Enchantment

Land of Enchantment: New Mexico is home to gypsum crystal deserts, green chiles and Puebloan culture.

From the ethereal White Sands National Monument and the majestic El Morro National Monument to ancient Aztec ruins and massive Chaco structures, New Mexico is a “land of enchantment.” Discover the land that inspired modern artist Georgia O’Keeffe.

Find out more about New Mexico at DiscoverAmerica.com.

Capital: Santa Fe

Population: Nearly 2.1 million people live in New Mexico.

Geography: Part of the U.S. Southwest, New Mexico shares a border with Colorado to the north, Oklahoma to the northeast, Texas to the east and southeast, Mexico to the south and Arizona to the west. Along with Colorado, Arizona and Utah, New Mexico is one of the “Four Corner” states.

Higher Education: Founded in 1889, the University of New Mexico (UNM) is the state’s premier public institution of higher education. Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, UNM boasts an undergraduate enrollment of more than 18,500 students, making it the state’s largest university. UNM offers bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and professional degrees across many fields, but it is best known for its programs in rural medicine, family medicine and engineering. New Mexico’s second-largest institution of higher education is New Mexico State University (NMSU). NMSU serves an undergraduate population of around 13,000 students. Located in Las Cruces, New Mexico, NMSU awards associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in a range of fields, though it is best known for its agriculture, education and engineering programs. NMSU is also a Hispanic-serving institution, as designated by the U.S. Department of Education.

Major Industries: New Mexico is home to a robust mining sector. The state’s most important mined products include petroleum, natural gas and molybdenum. In fact, New Mexico is a leading producer in the United States of all three products. Tourism and other service industries also contribute to the economy; these include private health care, engineering, research and government. New Mexico’s top manufacturing industries produce computer, electronic and telephone equipment, while dairy, cattle, hay, pecans and nursery products rank among its most important agricultural products.

Famous New Mexicans: Mexican-American novelist Rudolfo A. Anaya; Amazon.com founder and e-commerce pioneer Jeff Bezos; folk singer and songwriter John Denver; the cartoonist behind Yogi Bear and The Flintstones, William Hanna; actors Neil Patrick Harris, Demi Moore and Freddie Prinze Jr.; and hotel entrepreneur Conrad Hilton were all born in the Land of Enchantment.

Pop Culture: The 1966 epic Western The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, starring Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach; the 2003 Western thriller The Missing, starring Tommy Lee Jones, Cate Blanchett and Evan Rachel Wood; the 2008 Western Appaloosa, starring Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen and Renée Zellweger; and the 2010 horror film Let Me In, starring Kodi Smit-McPhee and Chloë Grace Moretz, were all set in New Mexico. This southwestern state has inspired musicians, too. Johnny Cash wrote a song called New Mexico, Bon Jovi wrote one called Sante Fe and Weird Al Yankovic wrote one about Albuquerque.

Culinary Specialties: Take equal parts Spanish, Native American and Mexican cuisine; mix; add a dash of cowboy culture to taste and you have New Mexican fare. The Land of Enchantment’s colorful cuisine is built around three ingredients: beans, corn and chiles. From fiery red chile sauce to savory chiles rellenos, the chile appears in almost every dish unique to New Mexico. Sample an enchilada Santa Fe–style, stacked corn tortillas stuffed with savory meat and cheese and smothered in red or green chile sauce. If you’re in search of a sweet treat, try a sopaipilla — a puffy pocket of fried dough traditionally served with honey.

International Connection: Sante Fe, New Mexico, shares a sister city relationship with Bukhara, Uzbekistan; Parral, Mexico; Santa Fe de la Vega, Spain; Sorrento, Italy; Tsuyama, Japan; Holguin, Cuba; and Zhang Jia Jie, China.

Fun Facts:

• Built in 1610, the Palace of Governors in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is one of the oldest public buildings in the United States.

• Las Cruces, New Mexico, makes the world's largest enchilada the first weekend of October at its “Whole Enchilada Fiesta.”

• White Sands National Monument is a desert of white gypsum crystals.

Adventure Idea: For an adventure you can only have in New Mexico, visit the White Sands National Monument, a desert composed entirely of gypsum sand crystals. The white gypsum sand crystals reflect the sunlight and never get too hot to walk on. To capture the sands in their glory, try a bike ride in the moonlight.